Reddish orange-emitting and improved electrical properties of Sm2O3-doped SrBi4Ti4O15 multifunctional ceramics

Abstract

Multifunctional ferroelectric ceramics SrBi4−x Sm x Ti4O15 (SBT–xSm) with reddish orange-emitting and good piezoelectric properties were designed and fabricated using a conventional fabrication process. Results show that samples exhibited strong reddish-orange emissions and their PL spectrum exhibiting a strong red emission at 603 nm attributed to the characteristic f–f transition 4G5/2→6H7/2 under visible blue light excitation. The intensity of emission was strongly dependent on the doping concentration. What is more, it was also found that Sm3+ doping significantly enhanced the electrical properties. At x = 0.006, samples exhibit the optimal ferroelectric (2P r = 22.23 μC/cm2) and piezoelectric (d 33 = 19 pC/N) properties, together with excellent piezoelectric temperature stability. These results reveal that SBT–xSm ceramics may have promising applications in future optical temperature sensors.